


All In Your Head

by huntsman (sarcasmandirony)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Magic, But They Don't Have Any Lines, Coma - Freedom, Delusions - Freedom, F/F, Other Characters Are Mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-03
Updated: 2012-12-03
Packaged: 2017-11-20 05:53:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/582011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarcasmandirony/pseuds/huntsman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina falls in love with the woman who brings her son back home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All In Your Head

**Author's Note:**

> So, I take a creative license with both delusions and coma's aftermaths since I hate doing research. Also, this began as a Swan Queen fic but grew into a love letter to Regina, typical.

Regina peeks through her son’s bedroom door, seeing a mess of sheets over her son’s body.

She sighs, coming in. The room only lit by the pumpkin shaped nightlight. Regina brushes her fingers carefully through one of the many bookshelves, reading each title – all of them fairytale books.

Regina sighs again, wishing her son would let her in instead of hiding in his fantasies. She tried for years to play with him, to join him in his quests to find the savior and rescue the kingdom, but she soon discovered that, to the little boy she loved with all her heart, she was no one but the evil queen.  

Turning away from Henry’s world, she approaches the bed to give her son a goodnight kiss, pushing back the sheets, releasing a low squeal at the sight of only pillows in the place of her son.

She quickly leaves the room, picking up the phone.

“Graham!” Regina says as soon as the sheriff’s office picks up. “Henry’s gone.”

And as the words sink in, Regina finds herself terrified.

\---

Regina is waiting in her living room with Graham by her side, no less nervous or worried even after Archie’s call, a few minutes ago, informing her that a woman had found Henry and was bringing him home.

She’ll only feel calmer when she could embrace him, feel him around her arms, even if all Henry did was try to push her away. She needs to know he’s alright, to see it with her own eyes.

When she hears a car parking outside and the noise of the gate opening, she runs out of the house, running to hug the little boy she loved more than anything else in the world. He seemed fine and when he pulls away, for once Regina doesn’t even care, doesn’t feel hurt – only feels relief.

Henry, her son, is back.

He’s alright.

Only when the words “I’ve found my real mom.” Come out of Henry’s mouth, does Regina heart sunk.

She looks at the unknown woman, awkwardly standing there like she doesn’t know what to do or what to say and Regina can see the resemblance in the careful features they both have in common.

“Hi, would you like to come in?”

\---

“Graham!” Regina shouts, running through the corridors of the sheriff’s office, her heart yammering in her chest. “Henry has gone again.” She says, and she hates how fearful her voice sounds, how defeated.

Until she sees _her_ , sitting behind cell bars.

“You! Where is my son?” Regina shouts, approaching the cell only to be stopped by Graham, telling her to calm down.

“I don’t know where the kid is. And if you don’t believe me, I have a pretty good alibi.” The woman, _Emma_ , says defensively, pointing at the cell bars. “But I can help you find him, if you would be so kind as to let me out.”

\---

Regina opens the door and Henry runs back in, without even looking at her. She sighs, her eyes meeting Emma’s.

“Thank you for bringing him back once again.”

“You’re welcome.” Emma said, turning her back to leave in her yellow bug.

When she’s almost out of the gates, Regina finds herself going after the woman. “I’m sorry for how I acted.” She said and Emma turned back with wide eyes. “I think you should stay.” Regina is able to mutter, forcefully and if possible, Emma’s eyes become even wider.

“Really?” Emma said, unable to contain a sarcastic laugh.

“Well, Miss Swan, I would like nothing more than for you to enter in your yellow car and drive off into the sunset to never come back to this town again.” Regina said, on edge. She sighed. “The thing is, Henry’s therapist thinks it’s better for you to stay, to spend time with someone that has a minimal connection to his fantasy world. He thinks it’ll help him.”

“Would you be able to do that?” Emma asked, surprised.

“I only want the best for Henry, Miss Swan, even if for that I have to share him with” Regina eyed Emma up and down. “Well, with you.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “You know, I can see why he would think you’re the evil Queen.” Emma said and Regina took a step back, like she had been physically hit. “But I can also see you love him very much.” She added, before Regina could say anything more.

She was left standing in the patio of her own house, long after Emma had left with directions to Granny’s, shaken by her words.

\---

The next time she saw Emma was at a town barbecue as the woman arrived with Henry by her side, both of them holding hands. Regina felt the anger built up inside of her when she saw everything they had, how much Henry loved the woman who had left him and how good Emma was with him.

When Henry left to play with the other kids instead of going alone to a corner like he always did, Regina only felt worse, turning away when Emma’s eyes met hers.

“Wait.” She heard behind her.

“What more do you want to steal from me, Miss Swan? You already have my son.” Regina said, her voice filled with poison.

Emma was a bit taken aback. “Okay, _Miss_ Mills, what do you have against me? Because I know all that anger doesn’t come only from your fear of me stealing Henry away. I’ve done nothing but trying to help Henry, to help you.” She said, pointing a finger at the mayor. “What did I ever do to you to deserve such anger?”

Regina sighed. “It’s not what you did, Miss Swan, it’s what you have and apparently, like most situations in this life, the ones who have it are the ones who least deserve it.” She said, looking at the children who were playing by the playground, hearing Henry’s laughter; that both broke and warmed her heart.

Emma followed her gaze.

“You can’t have children.” Emma said, eyes wide.

Regina walked away.

\---

A week after the barbecue, Regina receives a box in her office convoyed with a small card that read:

_I’ll meet you with Henry tomorrow in Granny’s dinner, at 4:30pm._

_Emma._

Regina opened the box and could not contain a laugh.

\---

The door to Granny’s diner opens and Regina smiles when she sees Emma getting in. The smile fades away when the door closes and there’s no one else there, following her or holding her hand. It’s only Emma.

She finds Regina and her lips curve in a weak smile.

“I’m sorry.” It’s the only thing Emma says as she approaches the table and Regina gets up, but the other woman stops her. “No, wait, at least let me buy you something.”

And they eat together and stay after the small meal is over.

First the conversation between them is kind of tense, but then it becomes effortless as they talk about Emma’s new job as a deputy, how she lived like a nomad for the most part of her life or about Henry’s baby days and the hardships of being a mayor, how everyone always ends up upset with your decisions, no matter how hard you try.

It’s like they could’ve been friends in another life. It feels good to talk with someone who’s not afraid of her. Besides being the mayor, Regina knows she’s not the warmest or welcoming of people, but Emma seems to see past that, past her defensive and cold exterior.

When Emma eventually has to leave, Regina wishes she could have stayed just a little bit longer.

\---

A couple of days afterwards, Regina has a particular hard day at the office and when she comes back home, she gives in to the desire to call Emma, inviting her to lunch the next day.

\---

Regina comes home when Henry is stepping down the stairs.

“Hi Henry.” She greets. “Don’t leave honey.” Regina says, holding his arm. “I invited Emma for dinner, so we can all eat together.”

Henry shakes off his mother’s arm.

“No. We don’t want to eat with you. You’re evil!” He said, as calmly and normally as one would talk about the weather, leaving her and walking towards the door, turning the knob.

Regina forces the door shut.

“Henry, Emma said yes.”

“No, she didn’t. You’re lying! And I know you threaten her into convincing me to have lunch with you the other day, but it didn’t work. So stop trying!” He shouts.

“Henry.” Regina said, kneeling down and placing her hands in her son’s shoulders. “I would never threaten anyone. I’m not the evil queen and I didn’t try to kill Miss Blanchard. I love you!” She said and before she even realized it, she was shaking Henry, trying to make him see reason, see reality, see the truth.

“LIAR!” Henry shouted as he pushed Regina away, making her fall, and left.

\---

Someone knocks at the door and Regina tries to ignore it, lying in her bed. But whoever it is, doesn’t understand that when a person doesn’t answer the door they’re not home or don’t want to be bothered.

Regina sighs, getting up and walking barefoot, her night dress, to the door.

When she opens it, Emma is there in her trademark leather jacket and perfect blonde curls, making Regina feel a little self-conscious in her night dress and messy hair.

“Oh, Miss Swan, of course you have no manners.” She says, sarcastically.

“Regina, don’t be like that.”

“Like what? Like my son doesn’t hate me or how he slips through my fingers more and more with each passing day? Or like you don’t want to steal it?” She shouts.

Emma’s expression hardens. “That’s not fair, Regina. You asked me to stay! I’ve been trying to help you, but it takes time and it’ll take longer if you keep pushing him!” And now they were both shouting, so Regina shouted even louder.

“You have no right to tell me how to raise _my_ son!” And they’re face to face, Regina waving a finger in the middle of Emma’s face, but the other woman doesn’t as even flinch.

“Don’t you mean my son?” Emma whispers, her voice filled with anger nonetheless.

The other woman’s words are like a slap and Regina closes her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Regina. I shouldn’t…” Emma apologizes, the anger giving place to regret in her voice.

Regina sighs, turning away and walking inside, taking a hand to her face and shaking her head. “I’m the one who’s sorry. You’re right. I’m just tired. Before, we could not have had the best relationship but I at least saw him. We had dinner and were together, even if we didn’t talk, even if I knew he wanted to be anywhere else but there. Now he spends all his days with you and I’m left here, alone. And I know I told you to stay and I know you’re trying to help and that I probably threw all of that away with my attitude this morning, but I just snapped.”

Regina’s eyes were filled with tears and she couldn’t bear looking back at Emma, not like this. But Emma walked in, closing door and approached Regina, placing a soothing hand on Regina’s back.

“He’ll come around eventually. You just have to be patient.” Emma reassured and Regina nodded.

They stood like that for a while until Regina turned away and was face to face with Emma. Their breaths were so close that they were just one wave of hot hair between them, between their lips. Emma moved a hand to Regina’s face, caressing her cheeks and moved closer, tentatively.

Regina moved forward the rest of the way, locking their lips.

\---

Emma tried to convince Henry to meet with Regina, but the slightest of efforts only made Henry grow suspicious and so Regina was starting to lose hope, but Emma always tried to cheer her up, telling her that Henry would grow out of this eventually and hopefully he would, because if he didn’t, Archie had told them, they had no choice but put him in a mental intuition where he’d probably stay for the rest of his life.

That was the last thing Regina wanted.

And although her worries with Henry had never been worse, she had something in her life she thought she’d never have since Daniel left her after knowing she would never be able to birth a child.

Emma was a new sun in her life, sometimes forcing Regina to have fun, taking her to the movies, to the arcade. But sometimes Regina could see that this was as new to Emma as it was to herself.

Emma was very secretive and Regina had sometimes to force her walls down, to know that she was there, that Emma could trust her with anything.

They were teaching other, growing together.

One day, Emma called Regina with an idea, telling her to come to the town’s exit. When Regina got there, Emma and Henry weren’t the only ones she met. Everyone Emma befriended in town was there like Mary Margaret, David and his wife, Archie, Ruby, Granny, Ashley, the brothers Emma had pushed Regina to help were also there, with their newly found father.

Regina walked through the small crowd, confused.

Her eyes met Emma’s and the woman smiled. Henry’s reaction was very different, a lot less welcoming.

“What is she doing here?” He asked.

“Wait and see, Henry. You know people can’t leave Storybrooke, right?” Emma asked.

Henry nodded and looked to the others, opening his mouth. “Is that why you called them? Emma, you’re going to get everyone hurt!” Henry said, grabbing Emma’s leg and shaking it in a panic.

Emma kneeled down. “Henry, I’ve talked to everyone and they all left town several times.” Emma said while Henry frantically shook his head.

“It’s a lie. That’s just their memories, the fake memories she planted.” Henry accused, pointing at Regina, his lip up curved up in a disgusted expression.

Emma sighed. “Well, I’ll have to show you then. Come on, everyone.”

And everyone present started to walk out of town, while Henry shouted and pleaded for them to stop, that they would get hurt, that they could even die but, one by one, they all stepped out of town until there was only Regina and Henry inside the town’s line.

Henry’s eyes were wide, his mouth open in shock.

He started to shake his head as Regina placed a careful hand in her son’s shoulder but Henry jerked his arm. “This is a trick, you did this.” He shouted and ran.

“Henry!” Regina shouted back as she started to run after him, but Emma stopped her.

“It will be better if I ago instead.” Emma said with an apologetic expression and Regina nodded.

“It was a good plan, Emma.” She said, feeling her eyes watering with tears. “Too bad it didn’t work.”

Emma tilted her head, cupping Regina’s face. “We’ll find another way.” She reassured with a sad smile, turning then to run after Henry.

Regina sighed, walking back to her car and resting her head against the wheel, until all the other townspeople left and the tears came pouring down her face.

\---

Regina gets home one day only to find Emma in her living room.

“What are you doing here? Is everything alright with Henry?” She asked, dropping her bags by the floor.

Emma gets up, walking over to Regina. “Everything is fine.” She said, placing her hands in Regina’s shoulder, turning her away and removing her coat. “I just thought since my last plan was a fiasco, we should try something different.”

“It was a good plan.” Regina reassured as she turned to face Emma, her jacket lying by the couch.

“Well, it didn’t work.” Emma rephrased. “So, I said to Henry that, regardless of being the evil queen” Regina grimaced at that “you still took care of him for ten years and you do have a legal right to him so, if you wouldn’t mind, I would be moving in.” Emma says, pointing to the travel bag by the front entrance.

“Really?” Regina asks, somewhat confuse and somewhat unbelieving.

“Yes, really. I know we’ve only dated for a couple of months, but I love you. I want us to be a family.” Emma pressed, cupping Regina’s face and softly caressing her cheeks.

Regina exhaled, without even realizing she was holding her breath. “I want us to be a family too.” She said, allowing herself to smile, not out of spite or smugness, but of happiness.

Emma smiled too, leaning in to kiss the other woman.

“I knew something was wrong!” They heard Henry say and Regina turned around almost instantly, seeing her son by the stair well.

“Honey, I know we should’ve told you sooner but we…” Regina looked at Emma, who was looking quite shockingly at Henry, in a look that probably mirrored Regina’s, before meeting her gaze and nodding. Regina looked back at Henry, taking a deep breath. “We love each other.”

Henry shook his head frantically. “No, you took her heart. I don’t know how, but you got your powers back and you took my mother’s heart out, making her nothing but your slave!” Henry shouted and Regina couldn’t believe what she was hearing, couldn’t even react upon something so unthinkable, so evil.

Emma reacted though, walking towards Henry. “Kid, that’s enough!” Emma said and Regina had never heard her more mad.

“You’d never speak to me like that if it wasn’t for her!” Henry shouted, turning to leave.

Emma sighed, rubbing a hand against her face and turning back to look at Regina. “I’ll go after him.” She said and Regina stood there until the door shut, taking her out of her trance.

“Wait.” Regina said, although Emma probably wouldn’t hear her anymore, grabbing her coat, her bag and running after her.

\---

Henry was nowhere to be found, so they resort to the sheriff’s office. Then both of them got in the car to go back home, nothing else for them to do but wait. The car ride was silent and tense and it’s only when they get home that Emma talks.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…”

“Don’t.” Regina objects, raising a hand. “I’m going to pour myself a glass of apple cider and I’m going to sit in my couch by my telephone and do the only thing we can, wait. You’re happy to either join me or leave.” She said, walking to the wine cabinet.

Emma stayed and they sat in the coach, beside her and they stayed there, side by side, for the entire night.

\---

Regina wakes up with Emma rustling by her side and the deafening song of a telephone ringing. She squints her eyes against the dim light of dawn coming through the windows.

She didn’t even realize she’d fallen asleep.

“What?” Emma shouts into the phone, panic and worry clouding her voice and Regina feels her heart starting to beat faster and harder against her chest. “Oh my god. We’re coming right in.” She says.

Emma looks to her side, noticing Regina is awake and gets up, picking up her red leather jacket. “Henry was hit by a car, just outside of town.” She said, her voice muffled, like she was trying not to cry. “We have to go.”

Regina got up, without saying anything, numb.

The ride to the hospital was a blur and the next thing she knows, she’s talking to some doctor, Dr. Whale she thought, in the middle of the hospital with Emma holding on to her hand.

“He’s in surgery. We had to induce him in a coma to treat his injuries. There’s no telling when he’ll wake up.” He said, walking away and leaving them with their worries.

Emma looked at Regina and fell into a mess of tears in her arms. The burst of emotion woke Regina up from her numbness. Seeing Emma, who was usually so controlled, so ready with a smile but at the same time so emotionally guarded fall apart like that forced Regina to finally face the situation.

Henry had been hit by a car.

He was alive, but he might never wake up.

Knowing this, she buried her head in Emma’s neck, allowing herself to cry.

\---

“This is all my fault.” Regina mutters, raising her hand when she sees Emma is about to protest.

She needs to say this now, before the little courage she has leaves her.

“I was raised in a very strict home environment. What my mother said was the law and my father was always too weak to stand up to her, and so was I. She had an entire life planned out for me. She picked my friends, my interests and even my college degree.” Regina sighed. “She wanted, no, she _pushed_ me into marrying an older, powerful man, a man I didn’t loved and I eventually fell in love with our stable boy.” Regina snorted, rather sarcastically. “My mom was ravenous when she found out, _love is weakness, Regina_ she said.” She breathed in. “I eventually ran from her, from that marriage, that life, with Daniel.”

Regina smiled sadly. “I promised myself I would never be like her with my own children. But then I found out that I couldn’t have children and so he also left. And I understood that you can’t count on anyone in this life but yourself.” Emma squeezed tightly on Regina’s shoulder and Regina smiled fondly at the touch, placing her hand on top of Emma’s, looking back at Henry’s seemingly lifeless corpse.

The only thing that reassured her he was still alive was the constant beep of the machines.

“So I pushed him, tried to make him strong, to never need anyone but himself to thrive in life. Unknowingly I became just like her, and naturally, he ended up hating me just like I did her. It was my fault he emerged himself in these stories, these fantasies. I made his life so unbearably hard he had to create this whole new reality where I was an evil queen and where there was someone destined to save him.” Regina felt tears falling down her face.

Emma crouched beside her, leaning in, placing her forehead against Regina’s hair.

“It wasn’t your fault.” Emma said and Regina snorted. “Hey, you did what you could with what you were raised with. And even if it wasn’t the best, there’s always tomorrow.”

Regina nodded, turning to face Emma, to kiss her.

“Besides, you have me now.” Emma said, between kisses. “I’m not leaving you.”

Regina smiled against Emma’s lips. “I know.” She said, turning to the unmoving boy. “I just hope there’s a tomorrow.” Regina breathed out.

Feeling Emma by her side, she allowed herself to be hopeful.

\---

Regina stood by Henry’s bed every day, reading him stories of his favorite book. They weren’t the most traditional versions of the tales, but they still were iconic enough to feel familiar. She also read him comic books, buying the latest editions whenever they came out, something Henry always had enjoyed as well.

When Emma was there, she would sit by the couch’s arm, listening to Regina while she told stories about far off places, poison apples and sleeping curses, a magic beanstalk and man who lost his hand to a crocodile.

Regina also got acquainted with the staff at the hospital, from the doctors, to the nurses, and even the cafeteria personal. She ate so much hospital food that when Emma brought her an apple puff, the first thing Emma had gifted her with, it tasted like heaven.

Henry woke up a few months after, in a day in nothing different than all the others.

Regina had just ended telling “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” when she looked at the hours – it was dinner time. She got up from her usual seat, setting the book aside and approached Henry’s bed, like she always, kissing him in his forehead.

She turned to leave when she heard him.

At first, she thought it was an illusion. Regina had heard Henry many times in the weeks following the crash, dreamed about him. Sometimes she would wake up crying and Emma would have to soothe her worries away. But the voice spoke again and Regina’s heart ached.

“Water.” Henry said, in a hoarse voice.

Regina turned around, releasing a squeal of relief when she saw Henry’s eyes slightly open. She ran a hand through her face, cleaning up the tears that had just fell, and almost ran to the jar of water standing by the bed, pouring it in a plastic cup. Regina led the cup to Henry’s lips and carefully poured in, waiting for Henry to swallow before tilting the cup again.

When Henry reclined his head against the pillow, three cups of water later, finally satisfied, Regina turned around.

“I’ll go call the nurses.” She said, turning to leave.

“Mom…” Henry muttered, his voice still weak, but it wasn’t so soar anymore.

“Yes, I’ll call Emma too. She had a night shift today.” She said but Henry shook his head, lifting his arms in a hugging motion.

“Mom…” He said again and Regina stood there, confused for a while until it hit her – Henry meant her.

She smiled openly and ran to the bed, bringing Henry into a deep but careful hug.

“I heard you.” He said, costly. “Every day you were here. My head is still a bit confused but I know you love me and that you’ll never hurt me.”

Regina smiled widely, feeling an enormous burden being lifted from her soul.

For now, that was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it!


End file.
